I am getting ready to sell my SVP mount with Intelliscope so I decided to double check my earlier efforts to set the 0 DEC mark. I haven't used the mount in a while and I wanted to make sure I had a good mark. This turned into a step-step to augment(but not replace) the printed manual. Let me know if you have an easier way or I have done something wrong. Bottom line, going thru the steps again confirmed my earlier mark was good and I had been using that in the field so I know all is well.

Here we go:

Step 1:

1) Since you have to point at something and I do this from inside looking across at the horizon I lower the latitude setting to almost zero and extend the back two tripod legs a few inches leaving the front fully retracted. This allows the scope to point at a distance tree that is just above the horizon. Start with the scope DEC axis so it is parallel to the RA axis and then move the RA axis so the counterweight bar is parallel to the floor, see picture (1)

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4) Flip the scope 180 degrees, the RA pointer now shows 0 oâ€™clock, see picture (4). Check the image if it is not aligned up/down, move the DEC knob until the image is half way to being aligned up/down. Flip 180, check the image and repeat the Â½ up/down DEC knob adjustment. Repeat this until the image is centered on both sides of the 180 flip.

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5) Now move the RA axis 90 degrees so the counter weight/shaft points to the ground (should be pointing right to the tripod leg. Loosen the DEC setting circle move to where the 90 degrees aligns with the DEC pointer mark, tighten the DEC setting circle, see picture (6)

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6) Now rotate the DEC axis to the WEST so that the DEC setting circle 0 degrees aligns with the DEC pointer mark. The front tripod leg is NORTH so rotate the DEC axis left to get the scope pointing WEST. It is all relative to the front leg labeled N â€“ you donâ€™t really have to be pointing North. See picture (7 and 8). This is where you mark the DEC axis housing so that you can always return to DEC = ZERO when the Intelliscope asks for on startup. I just used red headlight tape in case I did it wrong.

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Good procedure, similar to what I did though I used Polaris instead. You can also use this method to reduce cone error.

One thing to be aware of, the Dec ring is not necessarily printed uniformly all the way around. On mine there's about an extra 1-degree space between one of the 0's and the nearest hash mark to one side. So it's better to make sure that 0 is not the one you are using, use the opposite one. There'll still be a little error even then but it'll be close enough.